- The UK government has introduced the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill.
- The bill aims to prioritize graduates from British medical schools for specialty training positions in the NHS.
- Health Secretary Wes Streeting presented the bill to the House of Commons.
The UK government has put forward a new piece of legislation, the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill, designed to give graduates of British medical schools first consideration for specialty training positions within the National Health Service (NHS).
The bill was presented to the House of Commons on Tuesday by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who said it was necessary to correct what he called serious failures in the management of medical training under the previous Conservative government.
According to Streeting, the proposed law seeks to ease intense competition for specialty training slots by separating UK-trained doctors from those who qualified abroad, while ensuring that public funds invested in medical education deliver long-term benefits to the NHS.
If passed, the legislation would stop UK medical graduates from directly competing with internationally trained doctors for specialty training roles that lead to advanced professional qualifications.
Streeting explained that the policy is focused on safeguarding taxpayer investment and building a stable, future-ready medical workforce.
“Every year, British taxpayers spend around £4 billion training doctors,” he said. “It makes little sense for those graduates to then struggle to secure specialty training places and face uncertainty about their careers.”
He added that mismanagement by the former administration had forced UK-trained doctors into direct competition with medics from across the globe. “To protect that investment and ensure our graduates can become the next generation of NHS doctors, we are introducing measures including this bill to prioritise UK medical school graduates for specialty training posts,” Streeting stated.
Impact on international doctors
The policy is expected to have a significant effect on international doctors, who make up a large portion of the NHS workforce. As of June 2025, about 325,000 of the 1.5 million NHS staff were trained outside the UK.
Streeting said the reforms could be implemented within the year and would reduce competition for each specialty training position, lowering the average number of applicants per post from four to two.
“Our NHS will always value international expertise,” he said. “Doctors from overseas who have served the NHS for a substantial period will continue to be recognised. However, these changes will restore fairness for home-trained doctors and help secure a sustainable workforce for the future.”
Professional reactions
The British Medical Association (BMA) offered a cautious endorsement of the bill, noting that it includes protections for international medical graduates (IMGs) who have completed foundation or core training in the UK, hold indefinite leave to remain, possess EU settled status, or have dual British citizenship.
Under the proposal, IMGs outside these categories may still apply for specialty training but will not be given priority.
Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, expressed concern about the potential impact on overseas-trained doctors with extensive NHS experience.
“We remain worried about how this will affect doctors who trained abroad but have made significant contributions to the NHS,” Fletcher said, adding that the current legislation does not sufficiently recognise their experience.
However, the BMA welcomed planned safeguards to ensure long-serving international doctors are not disadvantaged. The association also stressed that the UK’s reputation for high-quality medical training should continue to attract top talent globally, while offering better value for taxpayers.
Key facts
Nigerian doctors currently represent the fourth-largest group of internationally trained professionals in the NHS, with 40,575 Nigerian nationals employed across various roles as of June 2025.
Overall, non-British staff account for roughly 21% of the NHS workforce in England, totaling 325,000 employees an increase from 305,000 the previous year.
These international staff members come from more than 200 countries, with India contributing the largest number at 79,406, followed by the Philippines with 35,543 workers.
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